Warrenspiece: Going camping thanks to The Senators Foundation

Over at Canadian Tire Centre Tuesday, Alfiegate took a back seat to summer camp.

Summer camp for needy children, that is.

While Senators boss Eugene Melnyk wouldn’t talk publicly about Daniel Alfredsson’s controversial comments that “we need a new owner”, he did offer some complimentary words for the club’s fundraising arm in a prepared speech.

If you’ve ever wondered where your donations to Senators-related charities goes, the group of young camp goers at the CTC Tuesday offered some evidence.

The Senators Foundation announced that more than $400,000 had been raised in the past year through its fundraising initiatives and partnerships (including the Foundation 24h Tremblant, Casino Royale and Magic of Lights) to send underprivileged children to camp this summer.

TOPPING THE MILLION MARK: The SENS Campership Program, which has existed since 2015, has now raised a total of $1.163 million.

“We just wanted to show people that their investments are working,” said Senators Foundation President Danielle Robinson. “We’ve reached over 5,000 youth over the last four years, so it is a big deal.”

Robinson says it’s easy to forget that summer camps, as well as organized sports, are often out of financial reach for some in the community.

“We live in a fairly prosperous city and I don’t think people necessarily know that one in five are living below the poverty line,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t think we’re aware. We’re the capital of Canada, a clean city, at the top of lists of places to live, but there are lots of children and youth in our community that don’t have the needs in the family to be able to go to summer camp.”

Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki says the Senators Foundation doesn’t receive enough credit for its efforts, recognizing that money was never a major issue in pursuing his dream of playing in the NHL.

“A lot of us are very, very privileged, especially in a city like Ottawa,” he said. “A lot of us grow up wanting pretty much nothing. This is a chance for kids who need it most, who would maybe not normally get a chance to go to camp.”

IN PRAISE OF VEGAS: Once upon a time, Borowiecki was a Golden Knight.

His college team in Clarkson shares the same nickname as the skaters in Vegas who are now only three wins away from capping the most unlikely Stanley Cup victory in NHL history.

You also won’t find Borowiecki whining about a flawed expansion draft exercise or about a team that didn’t deserve so much so soon.

“You hear a lot of people (complaining) about them not paying their dues, but as a spectator, as an athlete, I’m enjoying the story,” he said. “They’ve all bought in. In today’s day and age, it’s not trendy or cool to look at the benefits of teamwork or culture or stuff like that, because you can’t put a number on it, but you’ve got guys who bought into that team identity. They play with pride and play for each other. Look what it has done for them.”

FLOWER WATCH: Is it just me or did the Marc-Andre Fleury of Game One look a lot more like the Fleury the Senators chased from the net in Game Three of the Eastern Conference final last season?

SELLING THE FUTURE WITH THE PAST: If you’re a Senators season ticket holder wondering and waiting about whether to renew, don’t be shocked if you end up getting a call from Chris Neil.

Officially named an Alumni Ambassador in April, Neil is becoming a bigger and bigger off-ice face for the organization. While he has done his share of meet-and-greet sessions, he’s also making the odd phone call to try and convince fans to stay on board.

The Senators long-time tough guy — Neil played 1,121 regular season and playoff games before officially retiring last December — insists he’s not afraid of the tough questions. He says he provides honest answers.

STICKHANDLING AROUND THE QUESTION: Mayor Jim Watson has a long history as a politician and clearly doesn’t want to get caught in a lie. He certainly tip-toed when Postmedia’s Jon Willing asked him Tuesday whether he had talked to Alfredsson about the Senators’ ownership. “I have a lot of conversations with a lot of people and I don’t obviously divulge those conversations. I really was very proud to have Alfie at my kickoff and have his support.”… Alfredsson being in Watson’s corner serves as a reminder of when the Senators’ captain ran for Mayor himself back in 2010. That ‘campaign’ lasted only a few hours before the world caught on to the April Fool’s Day joke. When reminded of that when Alfredsson’s jersey was retired in December, 2016, Watson said, “He would have won in a landslide, no question about it.”

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